For a moment, everything froze — the room, the air, even my breathing. The life I had painstakingly pieced back together shattered in an instant.
He did this to me.
Nikolai had taken my sight… for his mistress. For Sabine — my best friend. The woman I trusted with my secrets, my business, my home.
Memories flooded in. The nights after I lost my sight, when Nikolai held my hand and murmured that everything would be alright. He fed me, guided me through the house, kissed my forehead gently.
“I’ll be your eyes, Sienna,” he used to whisper.
And I believed him. Every word. Every touch.
When he stayed late at work, I thought he was working hard for us. Every tender gesture, every reassurance — I thought it was love.
Now I realized… he was easing his conscience.
I staggered toward the table, gripping its edge until my knuckles turned pale. My chest tightened, my breathing shallow.
All these years, I’d blamed fate. A cruel accident. I never suspected him. I trusted him when he promised he’d never leave me.
But everything had been a lie. Every promise. Every kiss. Every I love you.
Tears blurred my newly restored vision as I covered my face. “No…” I whispered, shaking my head. “This can’t be real.”